1939 Play Ball #103 Moe Berg - SGC NM/MT+ 92

Graded NM/MT+ 92 by SGC. One of only two examples graded at this level with just one graded higher. Extremely crisp, super high-grade example of this classic card featuring the legendary Moe Berg, one of the most interesting figures in the history of baseball. Berg was a journeyman Major League catcher who played fifteen seasons between the years 1923 and 1939, but it is not his baseball career that has captured the imaginations of present-day historians. During his playing days, Berg was also working undercover as a spy for the U.S. government and later served in the OSS, the forerunner to today's CIA. It is amusing, in retrospect, to read the back of his 1939 Play Ball card, which notes that he is "regarded as the most educated man in baseball" and that "Moe spends his off-seasons practicing law, and globe-trotting, having been around the world several times. He also speaks fluently eight different languages." The card displays four razor-sharp corners, snow-white borders, virtually perfect centering, and a crystal-clear image of Berg in a portrait pose. The reverse of the card is centered towards the bottom. REA has handled this gem once before (selling for $823 in May 2009) and has been consigned to this auction directly by the original purchaser. Reserve $200. Estimate (open). SOLD FOR $588

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